What is a "forward identification light"?

lid (J.D. Baldwin) wrote in newscupbr$a2e
:



Saw an S-3B today at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. It had a little red light
on the nose that wasn't there on the "A" variant, which I flew back
about 100 years ago. A little dilligent searching turned up a diagram
with this light labeled "Forward identification light."

So, what is that, exactly?



Wonder if it could better be called a recognition light, to be used when
closing on a tanker..? or on demand from another aircraft.